


Justice is Blind (But Cats have Excellent Night vision)

by Hedgi



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Artistic License-Law, Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, fixit, how do trials work I don't know, reaction to 4x10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 17:39:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13439871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hedgi/pseuds/Hedgi
Summary: Clifford DeVoe ran the numbers, examined the scenarios, weighed each possible outcome until he was satisfied and assured of victory.Cats don't care about probability.Iris West-Allen watches the trial unfold, trying to believe in the impossible, and the impossible appears.





	Justice is Blind (But Cats have Excellent Night vision)

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read any of my metakitties stories, what you need to know is that meta-kittens showed up midway through season one and changed things enough that Eddie's not dead in that timeline/ earth. Also one of the cats is basically Lying Cat and one of them can just make people not be able to lie (and at this point, can make people yell the truth)
> 
> I am not a lawyer everything I know about trial proceedings comes from Legally Blonde and the court scenes in Blue Bloods so like... just go with it.

“It was Christmas--” Marlize said, her voice breaking.  It was like watching a cat tip a glass off the edge of a counter, predictable, inevitable, a disaster only one person could have stopped, and he wouldn't. . Iris wanted more than just that woman’s voice to break. 

 

Bones would be preferable.  Once upon a time, that anger might have surprised her, but not anymore, not sitting on this uncomfortable bench watching her life shred apart. 

 

This much was clear: Marlize was a good actress, a good storyteller. She and her husband had written this out to cater to an audience, perfectly. The abuse of Pathos made Iris sick. If this the plot to a novel, she’d have called it hackneyed. As it was, playing out in front of her….She hated to admit it, even to herself, but had she not been intimately aware of the truth, had it been someone else sitting in Barry’s place, it might have convinced her. 

 

All eyes were locked on the false widow as she pretended to compose herself, playing at frailty to win pity...or they were, until a glimmer of blue light lit the space beside the witness stand, and grew larger. Iris threw a confused glance at Cisco. It was clearly a breach, it even looked like one of his, but he seemed as much in the dark as she did, staring from the light to his own hands and back, tensing. Iris frowned. If it wasn’t Cisco, who was it? Cindy? Maybe Jesse?

 

If it was  _ another  _ evil speedster from the future and/or another earth,  _ she _ was going to be the one on trial for murder, because Iris West Allen had had quite enough of that garbage over the last 4 years. Wasn’t all this bad enough? Then again, what were their lives but one disaster after another nine months out of the year?

 

She felt, rather than saw, her father reach for a gun he wasn’t wearing, too busy looking everywhere else. The jury, flinching back, the Bailiff pointing his own weapon at the widening hole in the universe, Marlize looking like a startled deer caught in the headlights of a freight train. Iris took a heartbeat to feel a little giddy that that  _ bitch  _ clearly hadn’t foreseen everything. Then it was her turn to gape in shock.

 

A figure dropped from the portal, very clearly not Cindy or Jesse or any of the allies they might have counted on, very clearly not a potential enemy in black leather or a bright suit or even so much as a hood to obscure his face. She was not the only one who recognized him, from the way her father and Barry stood, the way Caitlin leaned forward, the way Cecile clapped a hand over her mouth or the biased judge blinked in befuddlement. The light flickered out.

 

“Your honor, councillors, good people of the jury, my name is Edward Thawne, and I am temporarily back from the dead and here to ...shed some light and speak as a character witness on behalf of Bartholomew Allen.” Eddie grinned, let the enormous tawny cat he was holding down, and straightened his tie. 

 

To his credit, not that Iris was giving him much, Slater managed to bluster past the apparition of a dead cop interrupting his questioning. “I am in the middle--this is not-- you can’t just--”

 

“I’ll wait, by all means, let her finish her story.” Eddie nodded to Marlize. “You did all see her take the oath, right? Maybe remind her the definition of perjury.”

 

“Objection, your honor this is clearly some kind of hoax meant to sway and mislead the jury, to get the case thrown out, to--” Slater glared at Barry. Iris clenched her fists. 

 

“This is Central City, a dead man showing up at a trial isn’t the strangest thing that has happened this  _ week _ ,” Cecile fired back. “You want the jury to believe in the impossible, councillor? You got the impossible.”

 

“I’ll allow ...Mr. Thawne’s  character witness statements and questioning, provided there are no more outbursts about perjury meant to lead the jury.”

 

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Cecile said, as Eddie moved to sit. The cat, however, did not follow him, instead leaping to stand on the podium. It butted it’s head against Marlize’s trembling hand, and she gave it a tentative scritch. 

 

To Iris, the cat seemed smug, but she turned her attention, as Barry did, to Eddie. Eddie, looking whole and solid, in a clean blue suit, not the bloodstained white shirt he’d been wearing. He gave them both a smile and a nod, and ignored the low-murmured question Cisco aimed at him.

 

“Mrs. DeVoe, before we were interrupted by that display from the defense--”

“Objection, we did not create any display, nor did we call--”   
“Enough, strike it from the record,” Slater made an over exaggerated shrug at the jury.  Iris seethed. Eddie touched her arm.

 

“As I was say, Mrs. DeVoe--you were saying? It was Christmas?”

 

“Yes,” she said, her voice cracking a little again. She looked at the cat. “ Oh--Clifford and I always wanted a cat,” she said, her lip trembling a little, and Iris could have screamed.  “It was Christmas, and we went to the waterfront to meet with--” she stopped, eyes suddenly dry.

 

“With who?” Slater asked. A thrill went through Iris-- it was clear this wasn’t part of the rehearsed script. Already it failed to match the written statements made. Moreover, it sounded like the truth. 

 

Marlize shook her head, silent. 

“With Mr. Allen? And go to his loft?” Slater coached.

 

“Objection, leading the witness.” Cecile folded her arms.

“Sustained.” the judge gave Slater a firm look. 

“She’s clearly too overwhelmed--given the interruption--to continue her statement--” Slater started. The Judge frowned. 

“It sounds to me  like she has something to say about the waterfront. I, for one, would like to hear it. If you’re done, I will allow the defense to cross examine.”

“She is in no state--”

“I’ll be the judge of that, Slater.” he paused. “Mrs. DeVoe will continue her statements and be cross examined after a recess--”

 

“Your honor, I move to present my character witness,” Cecile said. “I realize it is unorthodox, but I’m sure everyone here can see why that would be the case, given that Edward Thawne gave his life protecting the people of Central City two and a half years ago.”

 

“Slater, objections?” 

 

“No, your honor,” Slater seemed preoccupied. Iris tried to hide the smirk.

 

Eddie took the oath as Marlize scurried away from the witness stand. The jury craned to see if he would walk through the solid barriers. One man seemed disappointed that he didn’t.

 

“State your name and Occupation?”

 

“Edward Thawne. Detective with the CCPD. I headed up the task force dedicated to crimes regarding metahumans in early 2015, for the record. Until the day I died.”

 

“ And did you work, during that time, with Barry Allen?” Iris knew there was a risk-- Cecile was going into this blind, they all were, but if they’d gone off into a conference room it would look like what Slater said, a hoax.

 

“I did. Extensively.”

 

“How did you meet my client?”

 

“While off duty, he gave chase to a mugger who had stolen a young woman’s laptop. He risked his own safety--and took injury--trying to retrieve it for her.  The mugger crossed my path, and I arrested him, and took Allen’s statement after returning the stolen property. Of course he was struck by lightning shortly after that, something that left lingering effects on his health-- we didn’t work together again until the late in 2014, and of course I died nine months after that.”

 

“What was your first impression of my client?”

“That he was either the bravest or the dumbest guy I’d ever met, chasing down a mugger in the rain while unarmed and with no backup or training.  As we worked together, I settled on bravest.”

 

“You said you worked together. What kind of cases did you work?”

 

“I worked in Major crimes at first. Homicide, robberies...Allen’s work led the police to dozens of criminals. For example, he led Detectives West and Chyre--Rest his soul-- to the Mardon Brothers, thieves and murderers who gained metahuman powers later on, and he was responsible for proving the innocence of dozens of  victims of Hannibal Bates, a metahuman who stole people’s identities to frame them for crimes. When all the evidence was stacked against those upstanding citizens--Video proof even-- and all they had on their side was  a seemingly flimsy alibi-- Allen went the extra mile to be certain justice prevailed.”

 

“As was already noted in the trial, Allen wasn’t always on time to work. Did you ever see that impact his work?”

 

“No. He worked harder than anyone I’d ever seen. He never clocked out with work unfinished unless there was no other choice. I think he’d have slept in his lab if he could have, some nights, if that was what it’d have taken to get everything done. He wasn’t always on time, but he didn’t own a car, and you know how buses can be--and like I said, he spent nine months in a coma that had lasting after effects. I hardly think he can be blamed for being late, even as often as he was, with that in mind. It wasn’t as though he slacked off in his work, or clocked in and took a nap--I never once even saw him browsing facebook while on the clock--and I’m sure everyone else here is probably guilty of that.”

 

Cecile actually laughed, and so did a few members of the jury.

 

“Yes, well, that isn’t a crime we’re talking about today. Mr. Thawne, In your time working with Allen…” Cecile paused. “Were you aware if he had any enemies?”

 

“Every good cop has a stack full of them,” Eddie said. “The movies always show the criminals focusing on the cop who arrested them, or the judge who sentenced them,  but CSIs are as key a role as any in bringing justice to someone.  Barry Allen helped put away murderers, rapists, kidnappers, thieves, arsonists---you name it.  I’m sure plenty of them held grudges. Some of them might even have powers, the ability to do the impossible. “

 

“Like frame a man for murder.”

 

“Exactly. Specifically, frame a man for murder by recreating--almost exactly-- the scene from Barry’s childhood. The coincidence is pretty big, and hard to ignore.  Henry Allen was framed for murder in an alarmingly similar way, almost like this situation was tailored to fit a narrative.”

 

“Objection, relevance? And how does he know what the murder scene--”

 

“Overruled. The similarity is taken into account.” The judge had not taken his eyes off Eddie for a moment.

 

Eddie nodded, petting the cat. 

 

“Do you think Barry Allen is an innocent man?”

 

“I think that Barry Allen is an unsung hero who keeps the streets of central city safe, and there is no doubt in my mind that he did not kill Clifford DeVoe.”

 

“No further questions,” Cecile said, returning to her seat. Iris could see the lawyer’s hands trembling, but when she touched barry’s shoulder, the shaking had stopped. Barry’s shoulders were relaxing more and more.

 

Slater moved forward. 

 

“....You mentioned those framed by Hannibal Bates, did you not?”

“That’s correct.”

“Huh. Framed. You were accused of a crime at that time, weren’t you? Released when it seemed that you were one of those framed?  Or maybe you weren’t, and now you’re trying to repay that, hmm? Did Allen cover for you, and now you’re covering for him?”

 

Eddie glared, eyes as icy as Caitlin’s ever got. “I was framed.  By all means, reopen my case after this one. If anyone had covered for me, don’t you think it would have been my father? No. I am not ‘covering’ for Allen here. He helped prove the innocence of dozens--and yes, I was one of them. I would not taint that.”

 

“If you’re dead, how are you here? Are you the real Edward Thawne?”

 

“All due respect, we live in a world where some people can run at mach 2 and others can teleport or conjure tornados out of still air. I am exactly who I say I am.  Believe it or don’t.”

 

Slater frowned and shook his head. He returned to his bench for a moment, looking through papers. Marlize leaned over and hissed something to him, and he stormed forward again.

 

“And none of this has anything to do with your relationship with Iris West Allen?” he asked, Triumphantly.

 

“I literally died, years ago.” Eddie paused, opened his mouth, closed it again, and looked at the cat. “I’m here for justice, not an old girlfriend, though it is nice to see everyone on this earth.”

 

“No further questions,” Slater snapped.

 

“Very well. Mrs. DeVoe, can you continue?”

 

“Yes, your Honor, I think so,” Marlize said, wobbling back up to the witness stand. 

 

Cecile looked to Slater. “Do the people have further questions?”

 

“I see no reason to make a grieving widow testify twice.”

 

Cecile nodded sharply, and Iris held her breath. Eddie’s testimony had probably helped--more than could have been expected, really. Maybe Barry would see that he could find ways to answer without lying.

 

Iris’s heart lifted even further, and looked at Eddie. The look in his eyes was one she knew, though it had been years since she saw it. “ _ Trust me, everything will be all right _ .” She decided to believe it

 

Cecile looked over her shoulder at Iris and Eddie, questioningly, but smoothed her face to a look of confidence as she approached the bench.

 

“Mrs. DeVoe, you said “we.”  “We went to the waterfront.” Were you referring to yourself and Clifford DeVoe?”

 

“Yes,” Marlize said, “But that was earlier, before--” her mouth hung open for a moment, as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t.

 

“And the reason for the waterfront visit, what was it?” Iris watched Cecile take the moment before the plunge. “Was it to meet with my client?”

 

“No, it was--”Marlize looked genuinely puzzled.

 

“It was not with my client. But I think I know who it was. Were you meeting with Ammunet Black, a known metahuman trafficker--” she turned to the jury, “--who previously threatened the life of my client’s wife, in order to complete the purchase of one Dominic Lanse, on the very same night that Black abducted one of my client’s long time friends?”

 

“Objection--conjecture---” Slater’s face was growing red. Marlize, on the other hand, looked ashen. 

 

“Counselor Horton, what evidence do you have of this?” the Judge frowned. 

 

“Cell phone records will show a call from Dominic Lanse’s cell phone to my client’s moments after the Alarm company’s alerts were sent. Caitlin Snow can place Lanse as a captive of Blacks, and I personally was witness to Black’s threat to Iris West Allen. I would remind Mrs. DeVoe that she is under Oath and would like my question answered. Where you and your husband meeting with Ammunet Black to purchase a metahuman slave?”

 

“This is outrageous,” Slater snapped. “ She is not the one on trial, the DeVoe’s were and are upstanding--”

 

“My client is an upstanding citizen and perhaps she should be.” Cecile said evenly. “ Plead the fifth or answer my question.”

 

Marlize clamped a hand over her mouth. The cat, fur fluffed up, lashed its tail, and pinned back it’s ears.

 

“Yes,” she said, haltingly. “It was the only way to save my Clifford’s  life--we needed Lanse--he was the only one who could--” she gave a strangled yelp.

 

“Who could serve as a puppet, given his metahuman powers--powers Dr. Caitlin Snow can verify. “ Cecile finished for her. “And after you finished at the waterfront--where did you go?”

 

“Clifford went to the West-Allen’s Loft to-- to--”

 

“Did you go with him?”

 

“No. Clifford  staged the body to frame--”

 

“Marlize, what are you doing? You’re going to ruin everything! Stop talking!”  Iris turned to see Clifford, still wearing Dominic’s face, standing, hand outstretched. “It’s that cat! It’s making you tell the truth--” as soon as he’d aid it, he too clamped his mouth shut. Iris couldn’t help but stand, throwing herself over the barrier to grab Barry in a hug.

 

“ Telling the truth,” Cecile said. “Your honor, I call for Barry Allen to be released immediately.”

 

“Bailiff, take Mrs. Devoe and--Dominic Lanse--into custody,” there was more, arguing about human trafficking and charges, but all Iris heard, eventually, was “Mr. Allen, you are free to go”, the sound of a gavel coming down, and a loud purr.

  
  


Back at Star Labs, Eddie cuddled the cat as everyone clustered together, eating Celebratory cake.  “His name’s Bear. He’s gotten better at using his powers-- not as good as some of the others, but it’s very handy,” he explained. 

 

“Others?” Cisco asked.

 

“Yeah. there are… oh god,  after the last litter… probably thirty five or so? Metakitties, on my earth.”

 

“Which earth is that?”

 

“Well we call it earth one but beats me what you’d call it.” Eddie shrugged. “When our Cisco saw what was going on… well, we had to intervene. I really should be going, though.”

 

“You can’t stay?” Iris asked, holding Barry’s hand tightly. “Not even for a little while?”

 

“I have to get home. It’s our anniversary. I promised my Iris and my Barry I’d be home in time for dinner.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment!


End file.
